Catch That Bat ~ Leo and Leap

"So it's finally done." Leonard sighed, a tired tone in his voice. Ebony smiled, "Yes, I suppose it is" she grinned as she looked at the kid on his shoulder. "Hmm, we make a pretty good team, we should do more missions together" Ebony said smiling. She enjoyed this job with her Guild Master. It had been a great day after all. Bruised and scratched all round, but happy.

As they reached the client's house Leo asked her to go first. Politely, she knocked on the door. A man, obviously the guy who had lost the bat, opened the door with a strange expression on his face. Love? I could guess you could say that. "OMG my cute batty!" he squealed, as he grabbed the bat out of Ebony's hands. Sheesh, protective much Ebony thought as the man examined the bat. "I thank you both very much for your help, I-I'm just sooooo excited to have Batty back!" he said a giant smile erupting from his face. Ebony, not really liking this guy, gave a weak smile and told him he was welcome. As she man handed Ebony the money, he closed the door. "What a rude fellow" Ebony muttered as she turned and walked back to Leo, handing him the money. "Here it is, now we just need to bring this kid back and we are done!" Ebony smiled as she walked beside Leo, all the way back through the forest trail until they reached the little shack.

By then, Bruce had woken, with several blood noses, but overall, fine. He, of course was totally pissed at Ebony and Leo, but they didn't care. "Thank you for your service Bruce, you have helped us a lot today -cough-not-cough-" she grinned as she looked at him. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, see ya later guys. And never come back" he hissed as he slammed the door on them. Ebony's eyes turned a bright red colour, Two times, two times I have had the door slammed in front od me! she sighed, annoyed. It had been a long day, and it was finally over. The bat was back home with its beloved owner and the boy was back where he was safe and sound. She turned to Leo and grinned, finally, they were finished. Finally, they could go back to Fairy Tail where they belonged.

The job was done, everyone was back to their homes. It was about time they did the same thing. Leonard sat down on the ground with a large sigh as he took something out from a small pouch from his back. It was a wooden bottle that had a cork on the end. He pulled it out that made a chugging sound and drank the liquor inside. After drinking, he then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand that was holding the bottle.

He was looking down at this time. Leonard always starred down, thinking of things. Either the past or the future. He gave out a long sigh and then starred at the sky. It was 5 PM that time and the sky was beginning to darken. The journey back to the hall will be long and tiring. And the fact that they were already tired and the forest is dangerous at night, he thought they should take a pit stop somewhere.

"It's getting dark. The forest isn't as friendly as it is on the day at night. We better stop and camp some place near here." he said as he stood up and patted his pants and his butt. "Will it be alright for you to... Spend the night with me on a camping trip?" he asked Ebony hesitantly. He was cautious about it as he didn't know what Ebony will think of it or say of it. But he had to tell her "It's... I mean... The safest thing to do. With our sorry state we won't last in the forest." he added, his face slightly turning red. Leonard all that time was looking down and away from Ebony. He didn't want to see her reaction. He was afraid to know her reaction.

The shattered Ebony sat down, looking at Leonard who grabbed out a wooden bottle. Liquor, yep, she knew it. Hesitantly, she laid down on her back, looking up into the night sky, and staring at the endless abyss of time and space. She enjoyed being in the forest, staring at her most favourite thing in the world, the stars. She knew everything about them. Every one. Oh how she hoped to go up there one day, go up there and see the depths of space herself. That was one of her dreams, one of her motivations. Losing herself in her thoughts she totally ignored Leo's question. "Will it be alright for you to... Spend the night with me on a camping trip?" he asked her as she returned to the real world. "Huh, what, where? Oh, right, yeah of course" she said smiling. She loved camping, especially in the forest. "It's... I mean... The safest thing to do. With our sorry state we won't last in the forest." he said looking away. Ebony's eyes turned a fiery red, she had lived and enjoyed these forests for years. She could handle it beter than anyone she knew, well, only Tori would know it better than her. Opening her mouth to retort, she stopped herself. Knowing better, she said something else, "Yeah, let's go make a camp somewhere" she said, as she sat up, looking once more into the sky before she stood up and waited for Leo to follow her.

Leonard had a feeling of relief as he heard Ebony's answer. And for that, he let out a long sigh. He gave Ebony a smile as they made their way out of the forest to the North-West. It was the direction nearest its edge, and the edge of the forest from the north-west was a sight to behold, the area was beautiful plain. Soft grass as far as the eye can see and from the distance the thin line that separates the earth and the night sky. From there, there was a clear view of the stars and the moon. Clearly, a perfect place to camp in.

However, they didn't have any camping stuff with them, so Leonard improvised. He looked back at the forest. He thought of something with the trees that's why he walked in between two trees and knelt before them. He whispered words that would be summed up to asking forgiveness to what he was about to do. After what seemed to be prayer, he stood up and equipped two blades. Leonard then cut the trees down.

From the two trees, he had made shelter for them. Walls made out of wood and a roof from its leaves. They were tied up by Leonard's rope. The rope came from his pouch. Because other than his bottle, rope is something he doesn't live without.

Few moments passed and Leonard came back from the forest and with him dead animals to cook. He laid on a ground and set fire to a pile of firewood stacked up a few meters away from their shelter. He cooked the meat, but there was not much to do with it since they don't have utensils or other materials to cook with. He gave Ebony a piece of the food "I'm sorry, I know it's not much but it's all I can do with it." he said softly.

They walked together, silently, as the dark of night thrust upon them, making Ebony smile. There was a clear view of the stars and the moon here, clearly, it was a perfect place to camp. Leonard started walking back to the forest, clearly wanting to grab some wood to make a hut. As he did so, he created the whole tent hut himself, not even asking Ebony for help. Tskk, men think they can do everything Ebony grinned, sitting back and enjoying the view. The stars shone brightly, followed by the misty gleam of the blue moon. It was beautiful, more beautiful than ever. Caught in her dreams, Ebony didn't realise Leo went hunting and saw him come back with a couple of Squirrels. She couldn't help but laugh. "Squirrels...Interesting" she grinned as she accepted the food. Squirrel didn't taste bad, in fact, it tasted a lot like chicken, just, less of it. As Ebony thanked Leo for the food she stood up, looking into the forest. "I'm gonna go get some really tucker" she said, her voice confident. She led herself into the bush, careful, not to tread on any unwelcome nasties. Her father had taught her a lot about the ways of the forest, especially survival skills.

As Ebony snapped sticks of wood and wove pieces of grass together, she created a Snare. It was a large one at that. Maybe, big enough to catch at least a small deer. That’s for breakfast Ebony grinned as she set of to her next location. She made a mark on a nearby tree so she remembered where she left the snare. She bent down, feeling the dense moss under her fingertips. A stream she thought, prancing through the dense undergrowth, she reached a small little river. Fish, millions of fish could be seen from where she stood. She grabbed a stick with a forked end. Carefully, she stood into the water, to about knee length. Two fish, a pink Snapper and another she did not know the name of leapt out of the water as Ebony dug the stick into them. Lucky me she grinned as she dipped them in the water, carefully realising the gush of blood into the stream, sending the larger fish into a frenzy. Piranhas! she thought as she ran out of the stream, one clinging to her leg. "Ouch, shoot, that hurt!" she muttered as she pulled it off with her hand and flung it into the water.

She raced back to Leo in record time. She was getting tired and needed a rest, but first, they needed to cook the fish. She handed the large one to Leo, hoping that he would accept it and cook it as she laid hers in the white coals of the fire.

Ebony laughed at the sight of their dinner. He didn't know why she laughed, but he was glad that he got to see Ebony laugh that way. Happily, they ate the meal they had before them. However, it would seem that Ebony wasn't satisfied at all with just a piece of squirrel. No, she wanted something better to eat and to his surprise, Ebony said she would be the one to get it. It was surprising because he would never had thought that a girl like Ebony would have skills in surviving in the harshest of conditions, another reason to be proud and defend the family he has been looking over for so many years, but honestly, not for the rest of his years to come.

Ebony would now be in the forest searching for better food. Embarrassed to let a girl do this for them, he let it slide as she was a free spirit. And besides, if he went hunting for better food, it would cause quite the trouble and attract a whole lot of attention. He laid down on the soft grass with his hands behind his head, looking up the stars thinking of the future and of the people that were the reason he was still alive today. Basically, they were the thoughts that make him raise a blade and live. The silence was then broken as Ebony returned with a big game. He gladly accepted it and impaled it on a stick which he placed near the fire. He also went and done Ebony's food so that she would have enough to time to rest because it was obvious she needed it, especially with the bite mark he saw on her leg.

Indeed Leonard felt very sorry for letting Ebony do that
I'm sorry you had to go and do that difficult task. It got you all tired and you even got bit. Here, I'll tuck you in the shelter and I'll just deliver you your food when it's done." calmly with a little hint of embarrassment, he said those words as he tucked Ebony in inside the shelter he just made. And then, waited for their seconds to be done.

"I'm sorry you had to go and do that difficult task. It got you all tired and you even got bit. Here, I'll tuck you in the shelter and I'll just deliver you your food when it's done." Leonard said, as he pushed her towards the shelter. Embarrassed at what Leo was doing, Ebony kept quiet and walked along, towards the shelter, not making a sound. The song of life was played throughout the dense forest thicket as the presence of fluttering beauties could be seen all around them. Butterflies, they flew as far as the eye could see, setting the world alight with their beautiful light coloured wings. It was a spectacular sight, she couldn’t help but smile. The shelter was very well made, a little rushed, but perfect for one person. There was a gap through the roof, especially made for looking at the constellations of stars. There was only one shelter; she wondered where Leonard would sleep. Too tired to ask she lay down, resting her head on some soft green grass. Her eyes began to fall as she turned to Leo. She was looking into his eyes and suddenly whispered, "Thank you, you've been a great help, especially going on this Low ranked Job, you’re a great Guild Master" she said smiling as she looked up at the stars. I wonder what's up there... I wonder why I am a Space Mage. I wonder... If only I could find out she thought her eyes drifting through the presence of the real world and the land to her dreams. Her vision went blurry, and soon enough, she fell asleep. Dreaming about the future.

Leonard went away as soon as he tucked Ebony in to get her food that was done by that time. As time went by, the sight became more beautiful and pleasing to both the eyes and ears. The song of life was heard all around as its lights danced and fluttered around them. When he had given Ebony her food, she whispered her words of gratitude and commented that he was a guild master. With a smile, Leonard brushed her hair with his hand and replied "I'm not your Guild Master, Ebony. I'm simply your guardian. A father, who will guide and protect his beloved children." with a tone as comfortable and smooth as the touch of a grass and a voice that of a loving father. He could then see in Ebony's eyes her thoughts of the beyond. Leonard too gazed at the heavens and remembered his step-father who took him in. Time flows but the heavens do not, how I wish we will all be at piece at the other side. he thought as he was about to fall asleep as well. The shelter was not enough for both of them. And if he forced himself in it, he and Ebony would be at very dangerous close proximity. So decided that he would sleep outside. At the side of the shelter was a nice flat spot with no hard spots. He took a log from around the fire and placed it there as a pillow as he gazed into the stars while slowly fading away into sleep.

"Whaa...?"

The sound of birds woke Ebony from her deep sleep. She could see Leonard still sound asleep from yesterday's adventure. So, she decided she could do something for him as he would do anything for her. The light was dim, and the sun had not yet reached the Earth's surface. The fire, who now was nothing but ditch of hot burning white coals. She tried to touch them, burning her finger and making her squeal. "Craaaaaaaap" she yelled, as she stumbled back, hoping she didn't wake Leo. Frustrated, but pleased that the coals were still hot and could be used for cooking, she set of to catch breakfast. The snare she set yesterday should have caught something big. I hope a deer...please let it be a deer she thought as she walked into the thicker part of the forest, turning her head back once, to see Leo and the camp, still sit there. As silent as a mouse.

The sun shone through the depths of the forest leaves, sending a bright trail of light tailing behind Ebony. It was a beautiful day, even more beautiful now that the sun was up and about. She had been walking for nearly twenty minutes, searching for the tree she set the mark on. There... she grinned as she saw the mark on the tree, right where she left it. She turned her head to the left, her snare, was bare and empty. Nothing but a mere, three rabbits. Frustrated, she grabbed the three dead rabbits and took them back to the camp. Sticking them on sticks, the three rabbits where in the coals for around two hours. Finally done. She smiled as she took of the meat, and started eating. She was going to leave Leo's rabbits in the fire, until he woke up.

An hour had passed and Leonard, still, had not woken up. Man this guy sleeps she thought. His rabbits were close to burning, and she decided, it was time to wake him up.

Plan A. Simply walk up to him and yell.
So she did, she walked up to him, slowly, until she was right next to him. She shouted quite loudly, even the birds stopped singing.

Damn...Didn't work. Plan B. Make as much noise as possible!
And so, she tried again, walking away from him and grabbing sticks and stones. Banging them together, to make as much noise as possible. How do you wake this guy? she muttered as she dropped the attempt.

Plan C, gawd, if this doesn't work, I don't know what will!
Ebony reached for her water bottle. She opened the lid and poured it on Leo's head, soaking his face.

Leonard was in deep sleep. He is the kind of guy that when you get him to relax it might be near to impossible to get him out of it. Probably because the times he does get to relax are incredibly rare. So you might say he's making the most out of it. Though he could here some voices from the outside, they are very faint, but recognized the voice to be Ebony's. Her screaming made him move a little bit. To a position he thought he won't be able to hear her screaming. Because at the back of his head, he didn't want to wake up and thought of everything else as a disturbance.

Hours passed and Leonard would still be in the swirling darkness of his conscience asleep. From what he can tell in the outside, Ebony is trying to wake him up. He doesn't know why, it's too early for him to wake up yet. However, Ebony was making as much noise as possible and this irritated Leonard and made movements to avoid the noise as much as possible. But as expected, Ebony was not done there. What was so important that she needed to wake him up?

Ebony's last resort was to soak his face with water. It worked because it had that effect similar to when you're falling, but it startled him so as soon as he woke up, he drew a blade and pointed it in front of him. Luckily Ebony was out of the way. Leonard was breathing heavily and fast. Leonard at that moment thought that there was enemy but after a look around, he saw a beautiful scenery. He looked down and sighed then took away his sword and then stood up. Walking over to Ebony, he greeted "Uh yeah, sorry about that. And Good morning to you." with a smile.

"That's a sword, that's a sword..." Ebony breathed as she stumbled back. Her Plan C had worked and he had awoken! It was quite a relief really, if that hadn't worked, Ebony wouldn't have known if he was simply dead or a really really heavy sleeper. She grinned as he stood up, "Uh yeah, sorry about that. And Good morning to you." He said as he walked over to her. "Good morning, and no need to be sorry, I should have used a more... reasonable method" she grinned.
Ebony sat down, handing Leonard the two bunnies on sticks. "Bon Appetit" she smiled. She had already eaten hers, so she sat down next to the coals and starting poking it with a stick. "After you have eaten, we should get moving" she muttered as she looked around. It would soon be midday; they needed to move in order to get back to Fairy Tail in time.
Ebony stood up, brushing the dust and sand of her shirt and pants, and decided to go do some sightseeing while Leo was hungrily eating. The forest itself was beautiful, but what she found was the most spectacular thing she had ever seen. A waterfall. The stream where she had caught the fish led right down to it. It was a large waterfall that ran down some jagged rocks and into a blue pool of water. The pool seemed spotless. Its clear blue waters could be fit for a king. She bent down, drinking from the sacred lake. It tasted divine, like she was meant to find this place. She grinned and stood up, pleased with her discovery, she headed back to the camp. She hoped Leo wouldn’t worry about her, knowing him he would probably be sleeping again.

Leonard felt sorry and ashamed for what he did. He made Ebony scared, or at least he assumed he did. As soon as he said good morning, he was relieved to find that he did not scare her at any way. Surprising is the word Leonard found for it. It truly was surprising for her, he had been with this girl and still, she continues to surprise him. There must be more power to this girl than she is showing him. And for that, Leonard thought of giving her a Rank Up exam when they get back. Ebony had given him his food after thinking about it. It was nicely done rabbit and he enjoyed the tender meat. Ebony left him to check around the forest as he ate. But as soon as Ebony entered it, Leonard had finished it. He took this time to clean up camp by taking down the shelter and bring the pieces back to the edge of the forest. Then he took a few leaves from a bush and dropped it on the ash, hiding where they set up their fire. And lastly, he had the logs, and pebbles that were around the fire placed on the forest's edge again.

By the time Ebony came back, Leonard was just about done and they were ready to head back home, gesturing it to Ebony in a wave. After the wave, he quickly walked towards the direction of where Magnolia would be from their area. He knew Ebony would be catching up on him and when she did, Leonard said "Rough time huh? And in all of that, you impressed me, Ebony. So how about I give you a Rank Up exam when we get back?" uttering the words with such joy, to lighten up both their hearts.

"Rough time huh? And in all of that, you impressed me, Ebony. So how about I give you a Rank Up exam when we get back?" he asked her, his voice happy and filled with the joy that both himself and the forest brought to her. Rank...Rank...Up exam? she thought as a grin grew across her face. She had been working towards this moment for a while now, the moment where she could become stronger, where she could become one of the Best Fairy Tail mages, ever. Where she could protect the ones she loved so much, to save them in times of nee like he did for her. She couldn't help but hug Leo, her mind overfilled with happiness. "Thank you, Thank you, Thank youuuuu!" she said as she let go of him and grabbed a cookie out of her pocket. She handed it to him, careful not to even waste a crumb. Wait a second, hold on there. Where in the world did I get that cookie from...? she thought as a question mark hovered around her head. She sighed and placed it in his hands. This was the most loyal act Ebony could commit, giving up her precious cookies. She couldn't help but smile as the wind lifted up her brown ponytail and sent it dancing with the winds. It seemed that she was both at one with the world as she was with herself. It was the perfect ending to an amazing adventure. And she was sure, the adventure had just begun.

Leonard had just placed more joy to Ebony with his words. In ways that it made Ebony do a lot of things, happy things. A hug of unexpected proportions due to the incredible feeling of happiness. She even said thank you so many time but in truth such gestures are not necessary for she deserved it."Hehe... Don't mention it, Eby." he said cheerfully, Leonard played no part in the growth of such impressive power. With such surprise, even to Ebony, she took out a delicate and delicious piece of cookie from her pocket. What was more surprising is that she offered it him. Why would she give him something that she held so dear? The answer was quite obvious to him and for that he took it with a smile. The wind had blown and it sent Ebony's hair dancing. A glorious sight it was as the sun's light was high above. Leonard stared at Ebony and at the horizon. Great things were ahead. New avenues of adventure were open to her. But before that she had to pass the test as they continue their journey towards home. Leonard walked beside Ebony as he ate the cookie. It was a very delicious cookie, however that is to be expected from an Ebony Cookie.

Hours passed and they would be standing at the entrance to Magnolia. Their trip was conveniently uneventful and peaceful. As he stood by the gate, he turned around and faced Ebony while he had his hands hands behind his back. "Well how about we head back to my place and get your exam started right away? My place is not much but get the job done of getting my cozy." he said.

"Well how about we head back to my place and get your exam started right away? My place is not much but get the job done of getting my cozy." Leo said as he stood at the gate of Magnolia. They had travelled far, and it was finally time to end that journey. Ebony grinned and nodded her head. Exam... Finally... she thought smiling. She could finally become stronger. She could finally protect the ones she loved. She was grateful for all Leo's help, so she decided to walk along. She wondered what he had in store for her. It was the final day of their adventure. The lost bat was found and all was in good shape. The sun was crossing the horizon as Ebony looked at the beautiful city of Magnolia. It was the perfect place to be, to live, to protect. She was so glad that she joined Fairy tail so long ago, she had a family. People she could love and protect for as long as she lived, and she was sure, they would do the same. She looked around as a swift breeze touched her skin, making her tingle. It was the first sign of cold she had felt in a long time. It seemed like the touch of winter was already spreading faster than a plague. She enjoyed it, the new fresh scents of something different. What a day it was, for both of them. The things they had done, the people they had met. What a day it was, indeed.